South Africans defy extremist anti-Israel minority

This has been a difficult week for South African Jewry. On Friday, 30 January, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) announced via social media that Ariel Seidman, Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Pretoria, had been declared persona non grata and given 72 hours to leave the country. The South African Jewish Board of Deputies immediately mobilised, advocating its position across television, radio, and print media. 

This latest action represents an escalation in the government’s troubling obsession with Israel, a hostility that has intensified since October 2023. What concerns me most isn’t the diplomatic posturing, but the practical harm. Dirco is actively obstructing assistance to South African citizens in Israel while undermining opportunities that could benefit our own people. I’ve been heartened by the response from ordinary South Africans who are outraged that their government would jeopardise access to Israeli innovation that could transform countless lives here. 

That said, there’s a truth that bears repeating: mainstream South Africans are neither as extreme nor as uniformly anti-Israel as vocal minority activists in government, labour movements, and pro-Palestinian organisations would have us believe. Three events this week powerfully demonstrate this. 

Our community gathered at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge last Thursday to mark the return of the hostages from Israel. Representatives from the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS), South African Zionist Federation, The Base, Bnei Akiva, Habonim Dror, King David schools, and others joined us in an activation that mirrored our November 2023 gathering at the same location when we were still to learn the full scope of that crisis. We displayed balloons and photographs, creating a poignant visual statement. 

What moved me most was the warmth of Johannesburg commuters. People engaged with our posters and representatives. That we could hold such an event safely in downtown Johannesburg, without hostility, speaks volumes. There are precious few cities in the world where this would be possible. I’m grateful we call one of them home. 

The following day, South African Friends of Israel organised a protest outside the Nelson Mandela Foundation, opposing Dr Naledi Pandor’s policies. More than 1 000 proud Zionists attended, a powerful reminder that we are far from alone in our convictions. 

Then on Sunday, the Board hosted an inspiring morning at the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Ecological Intelligence ahead of Tu B’Shvat. Our schools, SAUJS, youth movements, and Vice-Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi joined us. 

Tu B’Shvat is too often reduced to “the new year for trees”, a simplification of this festival’s significance. Engagement by our community with the university’s leadership, directed by community member Professor Michael Rudolph, embodied the festival’s deeper themes: investment in our future; in nature; and in our community’s continued prosperity. 

Together, these events give a sense of perspective regarding feelings of isolation as a result of the expulsion of the chargé d’affaires. 

Finally, this week, we mourned Leon Levy, anti-apartheid resistance leader, Congress of South African Trade Unions founder, and one of six original signatories to the Freedom Charter. His legacy in South Africa’s liberation struggle remains an enduring inspiration.